News and Announcements

Club Spotlight: DECA

April 28, 2020

By Eileen Virden

Small Chapter, Big Results

What is DECA?

DECA is an international nonprofit organization for students studying marketing, management, and entrepreneurship in secondary schools. DECA is endorsed by the US Department of Education and chartered through state departments of education.

DECA is primarily a co-curricular activity where students conduct marketing research projects, promotion plans, start-up businesses, and encounter realistic workplace challenges. The experience-based activities require students to use both basic and higher academic skills such as writing, math, economics, social science, communication, presentation, research, and data analysis.

DECA is a fun way to take what is learned across all classroom subjects and put it to practical use. Students first learn the basics of business attire, handshakes, and etiquette. From there they can choose from a broad range of competitive categories based on their interests. Most beginners compete in business case study role plays, where they are given a real-life business problem and must come up with a plan of action that they present to a judge. Other advanced projects require months of research and preparation to complete before the State competition, which is at the end of February every year. Finally, DECA is an opportunity for students to network with others from all over Oregon at the State level, and around the world at the International level. Blanchet has had an active chapter since 2006.

2020 DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC):

This February, Blanchet brought 29 students to SCDC. To be eligible to attend the conference, students must prepare by taking practice tests and business case study role plays. These practices paid off with multiple awards on stage at the Grand Awards session. Members Lila Bray and Brooke Foresee will continue on to compete at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), held in Nashville April 29 - May 2.

Update: ICDC has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are sure to see some of these students as qualifiers next year.